Two Snakes
by falconer54
Summary: Salazar Slytherin never hated Muggleborns. But the noblest of intentions can be warped by history. Salazar lands in Harry's second year, and Salazar Slytherin and Severus Snape stand together against Lord Voldemort, Salazar's denounced Heir.
1. Prologue

"Am I the only one who remembers what happened to Gwynneth Caddell? I will not allow any more muggleborns to put themselves at risk to come to this school. It is too risky, both for us and for them."

Gwynneth Caddell had been a first year student sorted into his house. She had been an utterly brilliant witch, especially in potions. Although she was only in first year, Salazar thought it was possible that she could brew fifth year potions. But over Christmas, she had returned home. She had shown her father what she could do, and her father grew scared of her. When she was asleep, he had taken a knife and killed his daughter. Salazar was devastated at the death of the bright witch.

"While what happened to Miss Caddell was a tragedy, I believe it was a single occurrence. Muggleborns should continue to be allowed a magical education."

"Gwynneth's magical education _killed _her!" He spat. His snake, Sylvanna, hissed in agreement. Salazar paused. "I will not be a part of the death of any more children, Godric," Salazar ground out. He paused before impulsively saying his next sentence. It was out of his character to be so reckless, but he would not be the cause of the death of any more children.

He knew firsthand how ruthless muggles could be when it was discovered one was magical. Salazar closed his eyes as he remembered his parents and sister. He had been nine years old, and had only barely managed to escape being burned at the stake with his life. The rest of his family hadn't been so lucky. And now, partly because of him, another family had been ripped apart. "I quit."

"Salazar-" Rowena protested, and a breeze whipped at her hair before the Air Mage calmed it. Each of the founders had studied an elemental magic and had reached full mage level in it. Rowena had studied Air. Helga was an Earth Mage, and Godric had devoted himself to the flames. Salazar was a Water Mage. Rowena usually kept her powers under tight control; it was extremely unusual for her to show any emotion at all. But the extreme surprise had caused her to momentarily lose control.

"But you cannot-" Godric started, and the fire in the fireplace roared as the Mage was surprised. Godric was the opposite of Rowena. He was extremely hot tempered, and never had a problem telling a person _exactly_ what he thought of them. Salazar winced, remembering the duels that Godric had been in over his blunt comments. There hadn't been that many, but there had been enough that it was a running joke among Salazar, Helga, and Rowena.

Helga was staring at him with a shocked expression on her face. "Salazar, are you sure?" Nothing happened with her element. Earth was the least emotionally driven of the elements, followed by air. Then water. Fire was extremely emotion driven.

"…I am."

"Then this is where we part," sighed Godric. "Farewell, Salazar."

"Write to us," said Rowena, and the other two murmured their agreement.

"You must visit," said Helga. It wasn't a request. Some people thought of Helga as the weak one, but that was not true. He had once heard that badgers went straight for a person's manhood. Knowing Helga's temper - oh, yes, she was calm, but God help you if you got on her bad side - he wouldn't be suprised.

"Salazar!" Godric shouted as the parselmouth turned. The Fire Mage was fingering his sword and Salazar could see his wand strapped to his forearm, allowing him to cast even while using a sword. Both Salazar and Godric had hand and a half swords, allowing them to fight with either one or two hands."One last duel? For old times sake?"

"For old times sake," agreed Salazar, and they retreated to one side of the room. Helga and Rowena exchanged a glance before throwing up a protective wall, ensuring that no spells would hit either of them.

Salazar held his sword in his right hand and his wand in his left. Although Godric's wand placement allowed him more strength when attacking with the sword, it also made his spells less accurate. Salazar, on the other hand, had compromised some of his sword's strength (it was a hand and a half sword, he could fight with either one hand or two) to take full advantage of his being ambidextrious.

The two founders quickly put a spell on their swords that would temporarily dull them. They would not kill, but they would leave bruises. Godric started with a standard ox stance. Salazar smirked as Rowena called the start. Godric immediately brought his sword into an attack, which Salazar did not try to block with his sword. He would be able to block if he switched to two hands, but he did not want to lose the greater control of his wand. Salazar quickly conjured a shield charm, which broke apart on impact with Godric's sword.

Salazar used the moment that Godric was distracted to send a stunner Godric's way. Godric sidestepped and went on the offensive again. This time Salazar put more power behind the shield charm, and Godric staggered slightly backwards. "_Immobilus_!" shouted Salazar as ropes wrapped around his friend. Godric fell onto the floor, and his sword clattered to the ground. Godric held his wand arm out to defend himself, and with his other hand started burning through the ropes. He rolled out of the way of another stunner and got up, summoning his sword.

Salazar cursed. How had Godric managed to escape that? Salazar ducked low, using his wand to conjure a shield of water above his head, jabbing his sword to Godric's stomach. The Fire Mage easily parried, and brought his sword up to point at the parselmouth's throat as Salazar pointed his wand at Godric's.

"I believe that is a tie," commented Rowena. "Salazar, you are always welcome here. And here," she thrust a small silver armband at him, that perfectly fit around his forearm. On one side was carved his name, and on the opposite side of the band were carved three sets of initials. _HH, GG, _and _RR._ The initials of his friends were all glowing blue. She then put a bronze version of one (with her name, and the initials of the other three) on her arm while passing a gold one to Godric and a black one to Helga. "If our initials are glowing blue, we're healthy. Yellow, we're injured. Green, the armband has been separated from our arm. Red, and we're dead. It should be glowing at all times."

He smiled at her. "Thank you." He turned to leave the room after shaking all their hands. Then he paused. "I will make sure to visit. You can expect me around Easter."

"We'll hold you to that, Salazar," said Godric, clapping his friend on the back. "Godspeed."

"Godspeed," he replied, before slowly walking out of the room

Salazar made a short detour to his rooms to collect his belongings. He gathered his things and put them in a sack that had been magically enlarged on the inside. He paused before adding the paintings of his three friends to the bag.

The rain was pouring hard as he opened the doors of the great hall. As a Water Mage, Salazar did not mind the rain. However, the biting cold caused him to mutter a warming charm. Thunder flashed and Salazar saw lightning strike the Astronomy Tower, but he didn't see the lightning coming at him quick enough.

The lightning combined with his warming charm and his elemental magic – triggered by the rain - produced a powerful explosion that knocked him off his feet and he landed with a thud, his head slamming into the ground. He realized that the rain had stopped, but he didn't have time to realize much else before he blacked out.

"Godric! Rowena!" Helga ran into the room, out of breath, thrusting her arm out. There were two sets of initials glowing blue on the black armband. To the left, _RR_ and to the right, _GG. _But the _SS _in the middle wasn't glowing at all.

All three of them would search for him. None of them would be able to find a trace of their friend and colleague. During the summer, two of them took turns searching all of Great Britain for a clue of where he might have been, while the other stayed behind. They switched each year, and each year some of the hope that he would be found would disappear.

But that hope never completely vanished. The portrait hung in each of their quarters remained still and unmoving. Salazar, somewhere, was still alive. None of their messages were finding him, but he was not dead.

Helga was the first to die. She died, peacefully, in her sleep. The next day, Rowena and Godric looked at their armbands to find one blank initial – _SS_ – and one red initials. _HH_. They slowly looked up at the portrait of the Earth Mage in their room. She smiled back at them. First at Rowena, as she was the first to wake up. Rowena looked at the portrait of her friend and the icy lady started to cry.

An hour later, in another tower of the castle, Godric fell down on his knees in shock. It had always been the four of them. Godric, Rowena, Salazar, and Helga. Even after Salazar disappeared, there was still some hope that he would be found, and that it would be the four of them again. Now Helga was dead, and four was three. They still refused to believe that they would never see Salazar again.

Godric was the next to pass on. The Fire Mage had been cursed during the summer, and it was slowly killing him. None of the students had suspected until he collapsed in the middle of teaching them. Rowena held his hand while he looked at two portraits and his breathing slowed. Helga's portrait let out a single tear as Godric fixed his gaze on the unmoving portrait of his best friend. Rowena held her friend's hands as the life slipped out of them. She watched as his eyes glazed over, and felt as his hands grew cold. However, she didn't really register his death until his portrait spoke her name.

Rowena was alone. Try as she might to forget that fact, Salazar was missing, and Godric and Helga were dead. She devoted herself to the school, but every night she thought about Salazar. He represented a riddle, one that she had been unable to solve. But more than that, he was her friend, and she was alone. She died two years later, thinking about two people: her daughter, Helena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.

Albus Dumbledore opened the doors to the Great Hall, sighing as the doors slowly closed. He had no idea how the bludger had targeted Harry, but he hoped a walk around the lake would help him figure it out. Lockhart hadn't helped matters either, and Albus sighed again. The wizard had proved to be completely incompetent, and instead of healing the break, had _vanished_ the bones in Harry's arm. The poor boy was now recovering in the hospital wing. He seemed to spend way too much time in there.

He really should never have hired Lockhart, but what choice did he have? Besides Severus, Gilderoy Lockhart had been the only applicant. And he could not afford to lose Severus, so he had to give the position to Lockhart. Although he had been sorely tempted to take the position himself, but the other headmasters had convinced him that with his duties as Chief Warlock, Head of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Headmaster, that he had enough on his plate already. Albus was beginning to regret not teaching Defense himself. Or maybe he should have accepted the offer of Minister after defeating Grindlewald and avoided this whole mess in the first place.

He stopped when he saw the body of an unfamiliar man sprawled next to the lake. He had medieval-style dark green robes with silver trimmings, and had a sword with a snake carved on the emerald- inlaid hilt. A silver armband was wrapped around his forearm, but Albus could not make it out. The man had shoulder-length straight black hair, and he was a good six feet tall. On his right wrist was tattooed a rune: Laguz, the rune for water. Albus froze. He had read once that Mages had the rune for their discipline tattooed on their right wrist. Was this man a Water Mage?

Running over, he determined that the man was alive, but unconscious from a knock to the head. The man was also an extremely powerful wizard, one that surpassed even Albus in power. He would figure out who the man was later, but for now he brought him to the Hospital Wing.


	2. Chapter One

Salazar woke up in a bed, and opened his eyes halfway to see it was the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Somebody must have found him and brought him back, and now Helga was being her usual annoying mother hen self. "I'm fine Helga," he slurred, cursing as he heard his voice. He must have a concussion.

"Helga? As in Helga Hufflepuff?" Asked a female voice in a low hiss.

"Yes, I think he said that. Although it must be a different Helga."

"I know, it would- AHH, A SNAKE!" Salazar snorted, as did his snake, Sylvanna.

~_They're terrified of me, aren't they?~ _she hissed.

Salazar was shocked when he heard another voice reply in parseltongue. He thought that he was the only one at Hogwarts with that ability.

_~Yeah, that was pretty funny. I'm Harry, by the way.~_

…Huh? He didn't recall any student by the name of Harry at Hogwarts. Salazar fought to have his eyes open, and blinked in confusion as he stared at the three people in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. One was a young boy, probably a first or second year, whose arm looked limp. He had messy black hair and bright green eyes, and was wearing a uniform that identified him as one of Godric's house. He assumed this was Harry.

Another was an old man with robes so bizarre that they practically hurt to look at. He hadn't thought that that bad of a fashion sense was possible, but it apparently was. He had a long silver beard and piercing, twinkling, blue eyes.

The third person, a kindly looking woman, was most decidedly _not_ Helga Hufflepuff, and he looked at the three of them again, his gaze sweeping over the room. He didn't know any of them, and he frowned. "Who are you?"

"I'm Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of this school. This is Poppy Pomfrey, the school mediwitch. And I assume you know Harry Potter. And who are you?"

Headmaster? Salazar thought for a minute and slowly asked a question, almost not wanting to know the answer. "…What's the date?"

By now, the boy – Harry – was staring in his direction in undisguised curiosity.

"It is November seventh. And who are you?" The headmaster asked again.

"The year?"

The man frowned, but answered anyway. "1992."

Salazar groaned. He was a thousand years in the future, although he was glad the school had survived that long. But _Good Lord_, how had he gotten himself into this mess?

He took a deep breath. Time travel? Although he supposed it was _possible_, he doubted anybody would believe him. "…I'm Salazar Slytherin."

Three sets of eyes stared at him in disbelief, and Salazar noticed with confusion that the boy – Harry – flinched away. The mediwitch shook her head. "You have a concussion sir, and you seem to be a bit confused. Slytherin has been dead for a thousand years. You should rest a bit."

"Have you given me anything yet?" He asked. Salazar had a potion to cure a concussion in his robes, but he wanted to make sure that he could take it with anything that they might have given him. After the mediwitch shook her head, he reached into his robe and downed the potion before the mediwitch could stop him.

"I'm Salazar Slytherin," he said again. This time, both the boy and the headmaster flinched. Why were they flinching anytime he said his name?

"You have a concussion, sir-" repeated the mediwitch.

"Not anymore, the potion fixed it," he smirked. The mediwitch dubiously cast a diagnostic spell, and her eyes widened as he was proven right. "I _am _Salazar Slytherin. You know it is impossible to lie in Parseltongue, correct? If I say I am Salazar Slytherin in Parseltongue, will you believe me?"

"That is as good a plan as any, but there are no other Parselmouths here."

"Did you not just hear that boy address Sylvanna in Parseltongue?"

The man's eyes widened and he whirled to the boy. "Why didn't you tell me you were a Parselmouth, Harry?"

Harry's eyes showed confusion. "A what, Professor?"

"You can speak with snakes."

"Yeah, of cours- wait, not everybody can do it? I thought it was a wizard thing, sir."

"No, very few people have the ability, but I would advise keeping this silent, Harry. It is not exactly viewed in a positive light. But, as the man suggested, will you interpret what he says?"

Harry slowly nodded, and turned to him. Salazar noticed the wary look in his eyes, and again wondered why people seemed to fear him.

_~Hello, Harry, I am Salazar Slytherin. Hopefully they believe me this time.~_

Harry turned to the headmaster and nodded, concealing his flinch better. Salazar still noticed, though. "He is who he says he is… Bloody Hell…"

"Language, Harry," said the mediwitch.

"But he's _Salazar Slytherin!_" the boy hissed. "How do we know we can trust him?"

Salazar visibly started. Then his eyes narrowed. "Why are you under the impression that you-" he swallowed, but tried to hide his hurt – "cannot trust me?" Why would they not trust him? Had he not dedicated his life to the school, and only left when it went against his morals?

"… You hate Muggleborns. Everybody knows that!"

"I most certainly do not. _What_, exactly, has given you that idea?" He growled. The water in the air suddenly started condensing into small spheres. Salazar slammed his Occlumency shields up, and the water dissipated again.

This time the headmaster stepped forward. "The history books say you disappeared after an argument with Godric Gryffindor about letting muggleborns into the school. You were never seen again… until now, I suppose."

"That is partially true. I did disagree with them, but only after a muggleborn girl sorted into my house was _killed_ by her own _father_ for the magic she knew. I know firsthand how vicious muggles can be if they learn of magic. I certainly had no wish in being a part in the deaths of any more children. I decided to leave the school. After one last duel with Godric, I left – after Helga had extracted promises from me to visit." He smiled faintly, then suddenly the thought came that he had been denying since he learned he was one thousand years in the future. He slowly pulled out his bracelet. All three sets of initials were red, and his heart sank at the confirmation of what his brain already knew. Salazar staggered back as if hit as the realization hit him full force.

"Helga… Rowena… Godric. They're dead… and I never visited. Oh, God… they're dead." He had never been an outgoing man, but he had been aware that something had existed between the four of them. He suddenly felt an urge to talk to them again, to _be_ with them again. But that was not possible.

Salazar closed his eyes and felt for the magic of the castle, hoping to feel his friends' magic in the wards. Hogwarts hummed as she recognized his magic, and he slowly recognized his friends' magical signatures. He opened his mind to the castle and felt the familiar energy settle into place around him.

Rowena's was serious, yet light, like a breeze, but he knew it was holding back, that if threatened it would retaliate harshly. It fluctuated slightly, but overall it kept at the same level. At the same time it was also refined and calm. He could see the blue and bronze swirls in his mind. They were not visible, but he could see the colors of the magic, much as one could see a memory in their heads. Godric's was much more wild. It was barely restrained, and the red with random flecks of gold always had reminded him of a flame, especially with their random pulsing. Helga's was calmer; the yellow was scattered with black and it was a steady presence. He could feel his own, green tinged with silver, slipping over him like running water.

The headmaster looked at Slytherin sadly. He had an unfocused look in his eyes, as if he was recalling something. Yet there was also a focus there, of a person trying to reach for something.

Salazar was shocked at the state of the wards. Half of them were just wisps of magic, easily penetrable, and only a few, like the anti-apparation one, was still strong. The one to detect dark objects was there, but it appeared that this headmaster did not know how to attune to Hogwarts, otherwise he would have been alerted about the three Horcruxes. One of whom was Harry. "What in the name of God has happened to the wards? Half of them are in shambles! I feel the presence of three Horcruxes in this castle, Headmaster."

Dumbledore looked shocked. "As far as I know, the wards are still strong. And what do you mean about the Horcruxes? How can you detect them?"

"As headmaster, you should know how to connect to the magic of the castle. The knowledge should have been passed on. I shall show you how to connect after repairing the wards and checking on my basilisk."

Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore gasped. "Your _what?_"

"Oh, she is perfectly safe. I can control her, and she has a set of eyelids to pull over her eyes so she doesn't harm anybody. But I will have her destroy these horcruxes."

"But a basilisk is dangerous-" protested the mediwitch, but Salazar glared.

"Saskia is my familiar. She will _not be harmed._ Understood?" His voice was icy, and his eyes flashed as he held out his hand, conjuring a sphere of water wandlessly and silently. The water itself was not the hidden threat. The threat was the implied "I can conjure water wordlessly and wandlessly. I am a powerful wizard. Do not cross me." The headmaster nodded, but the mediwitch suddenly glared.

"A basilisk… that is what petrified Mrs. Norris. Your basilisk petrified the caretakers cat. Who will be next? A student? Will the student be dead this time, instead of petrified?"

"WHAT!?" he leaped up from the bed and started to pace the room. "Saskia _knows_ she is always to keep her third eyelid closed! She _knows_ she is never to harm anybody! Why would… no. Oh, God, no." Salazar took several breaths to calm himself down. He had not had any children, but magic could have made a wizard from his cousin's line his Heir. And that would be enough to allow this Heir control of Saskia. He suddenly had a horrible feeling that his heir was the one behind the Horcruxes, as well. "Who do you think has created these horcruxes, Headmaster?"

"Probably Tom Riddle, a man most know as Lord Voldemort," the Headmaster replied. "He is trying to kill the muggleborns in a belief of pure-blood supremacy, even though he is a half-blood himself. He believes he is doing this in your name, and he is your Heir."

Dumbledore took a step back at the fury in Slytherin's ocean-like eyes. This time, Slytherin did not bother to control his Water Magic. Dumbledore focused all of his magic on stopping the Founder's rage.

Salazar snapped out of his anger over his so-called Heir as he noticed the foreign magic fighting his. The founder snarled. "He needs to be stopped. I have no clue how everybody's view of me has been so warped, but I will make several things clear. Yes, I do know Dark Magic. I do not use it to harm others, I just believe that it is wise to know how one's enemy fights. I do not hate Muggleborns, for reasons I have already explained. Also, Madame Pomfrey?" He dug around in his robe and produced a small vial. "This is the potion that will heal the petrification. Saskia insisted that I carry it around with me." The mediwitch accepted the vial with a curt nod.

"I will go to Saskia and collect some of her venom to destroy the Horcruxes after I repair the wards," Salazar said.

"…Sir- er, I mean Slytherin- Professor Slytherin? Is your basilisk the voice I keep hearing in the walls?"

Salazar blinked. "Possibly. I will repair the wards now, and collect the venom. Would the three of you mind keeping my secret for a while longer? …well, you may tell whoever is Head of my house. Headmaster, I will show you the wards that should be protecting the school if you come."

Salazar went into the Headmaster's office, as the wards of the castle were the most easily accessed from there. He raised an eyebrow at the headmaster's password – it seemed to be some sort of sweet – but said nothing. Although he tried to ignore the pain in his chest as he remembered Rowena's sweet tooth. He had been very surprised when he discovered said fondness for sweets, as Rowena had not seemed the type to love sweets.

He closed his eyes and reached out for the magic of Hogwarts. Starting with the most degraded ward – the one against dark creatures – he slowly recast the wards, leaving the Headmaster staring at him in shock. Salazar took a deep breath before he summoned a chair and sunk into it, feeling exhausted. Originally, the other founders had helped him cast the wards, even though he had designed most of them. Even for a powerful wizard such as he was, covering such a large area with so much magic was tiring. The Fire, Air, and Earth Wards could not be replaced, but he had replaced the Water Wards with as much power as he could.

He was panting by the time he finished, so he dug around in his robes again for a pepperup potion, and downed this one in a single gulp as well. He still felt exhausted and dug around for another and downed that one too. The headmaster raised an eyebrow.

"How many potions do you keep in your cloak?"

Salazar smirked. "A lot." He then excused himself from the office and walked down to his chamber, pausing only for a moment as he found a girls bathroom had been added over the entrance. He walked into the bathroom, hoping nobody saw him.

There was only a ghost, who was rather friendly, if annoying. He entered his chamber and Saskia greeted him eagerly. She had grown a lot since he had last seen her. She had been ten feet long then; now she must be at least thirty.

_~MASTER! SALAZAR! You are back! It has been so long…~_

Salazar softly stroked her scales. He stayed there for what seemed like forever, and yet no time at all. _~I have traveled a thousand years forward in time, yet I have missed you in the day since I saw you. You must miss me so much more. However, I need some of your venom to destroy some Horcruxes made by a Mr. Tom Riddle, known as Lord Voldemort.~_

_ ~HIM!~ _Saskia snarled viciously. _~I do not like him, though he is your heir, apparently. He found the chamber and forced me to obey his commands, and kill a muggleborn student. I hated every moment of it, Salazar,~ _she said sadly, relinquishing some of her venom. Salazar was furious. That … _man_… might share his blood, but Salazar was disgusted by his actions.

~_Now that I am here, our link should be activated again. Call me on it if any of this man's Horcruxes try to control you. Do not follow his orders, Saskia.~_

He then went to the Room of Requirement, where he found the Horcrux, and he cursed. Rowena would _kill_ him. The bastard had turned her diadem into a Horcrux. He took out his dagger, Silverstrike – which, ironically, had been a gift from Rowena – and was about to dip the tip into Saskia's venom when he stopped. He might need an untainted dagger in the future, so instead he grabbed his potions knife and dipped the tip into the basilisk venom instead. Salazar then checked the diadem for any curses. He found none, and was puzzled for a moment before snorting at this Voldemort's cockiness. He must have assumed nobody would find it.

Silently apologizing to Rowena, he brought the tip of the knife down on her diadem. There was an unearthly scream before it suddenly halted, and Rowena's diadem lay broken, and free of dark magic. He picked up the diadem and returned to the Headmaster's office, but he cursed as he realized he forgot the password. But then he smirked. There were advantages to being a founder, and one was that one could access most of the castle without needing to know the password, the exceptions being personal quarters and his chamber. The headmaster looked up from a conversation as he entered the office.

"Who is he, Albus?"

"Ah," here Dumbledore grinned. "This is Severus Snape, the Potions Master here at Hogwarts and Head of Slytherin. Severus, meet Salazar Slytherin. Salazar, Severus Snape."

Severus stepped forward and shook his hand automatically before what the headmaster had said registered. "_WHAT!?"_

* * *

><p>Author's note: I am pleasantly surprised at the good reception this story is getting.<p>

Moi: Thank you so much for your review. I have tried to incorporate the elements you mentioned into the story (some will show up later.) I have to say that it was the most helpful and comprehensive review that I have ever gotten. Thank you again.


	3. Chapter Two

"Nice to meet you, Severus. I'm Salazar Slytherin." He turned to the headmaster, ignoring Severus' gaping jaw. "I destroyed one of the Horcruxes, and I believe the other is in the Gryffindor Girls dormitories. Now, unfortunately, those count as private quarters, one of the few places I, as a founder, cannot go without permission. And even if I had permission, Rowena put up that stupid spell so no males can enter," he finished, grumbling.

"What would his Horcrux be doing in the Gryffindor dormitories?"

"The Gryffindor _Girls_ Dormitories. Let me see if the castle knows what it is doing there, and if it can transport the Horcrux here."

Severus had been looking back and forth between Salazar and Dumbledore, and Dumbledore chuckled at his obvious hero-worship of Salazar. Meanwhile, Salazar reached out for Hogwarts. He felt a wave of magic course through his body before a diary appeared in the middle of the floor. Dumbledore moved forward to pick it up, but Severus stopped him. "Albus, _what are you doing_? That thing is probably cursed! Don't touch it!"

However, the only magic Salazar felt coming from the diary was the dark magic of the Horcrux. He took out his knife, which was still coated with the venom, and thrust it into the diary. There was another scream which stopped as abruptly as it begun.

The three men stared in silence at the diary for a minute before Severus spoke up. "What _was_ that?"

Severus looked fairly sick by the end of his explanation, and so did Dumbledore. Salazar shuddered. "There is one more Horcrux in the castle, however it does not appear to be a real Horcrux. The best I can guess is that Voldemort made so many Horcruxes that his soul splintered when a strong curse hit him, and a fragment flew to the closest person. Harry Potter."

Severus blanched, but Dumbledore sighed. "I suspected as much," and explained to Salazar in more detail what had happened. Severus was growing impatient. He had sworn to protect Harry Potter, and he was sure that included getting a piece of the Dark Lord's soul out of the brat.

_He's my son too, Severus,_ said a voice in his head that sounded remarkably like Lily's.

"But how do we get it out without killing him?"

"Before I came here, I had been working on a potion to destroy Horcruxes. I believe that I almost succeeded, and with a bit of tweaking, I believe I could destroy the Horcrux in Harry without killing him. Severus, will you allow me use of your labs? … and perhaps inform me of advances that have been made in the past thousand years?"

"Of – Of c-course, sir!"

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "I do believe that is the first time I have ever heard Severus stammer," he said dryly.

Severus glared at the older wizard. "It is not every day that one is faced with the founder of the house one is the head of, who happens to be one of the most brilliant potion masters _ever_, _and_ who has been dead for a thousand years. Forgive me if I am a bit … _overwhelmed_."

Chuckling, Dumbledore left the two wizards to floo to Severus' labs.

Salazar felt a bit sick as he landed in the laboratories. He was used to apparating, so he got over it quickly, but he was not used to flooing, as it had been invented after his time.

He listened as Severus explained the advances that had been made in the past thousand years, and Salazar smiled. Here was a Potions Master of his own caliber, one with whom he could actually discuss intelligently about their passion. They were even similar ages, if one ignored the time travel.

In turn, he showed Severus some of the potions he had developed, one of which was the concussion one he had had earlier. He explained about his potion to destroy Horcruxes, and he saw it click in Severus' mind. Rowena, though intelligent, never had the click that showed a person really understood.

Then Severus' expression fell. "But you said that shed basilisk scales were an ingredient in the potion. There is no way that I can obtain those on my salary…" he trailed off as he saw a growing smirk on the Founder's face.

"My familiar is a basilisk, and I can collect some of her shed scales. The freshness of the scales shouldn't matter, so I should be able to find a reasonable amount. Would you like to come with me? I believe there is a secondary entrance to the chamber in what was my old quarters… however I do not wish to visit those quite yet, so we will go to the entrance in the bathroom."

"Your chamber's secondary entrance is in a _girls'_ bathroom, Salazar!" hissed Severus as he opened the door. Both men stopped suddenly at seeing the brown-haired girl hunched over a cauldron.

"So that's where my ingredients went," muttered Severus before he rounded on the girl. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

But the girl wasn't paying attention. She was looking at Salazar, and the founder could see as she fit the pieces together. "Salazar…. Salazar Slytherin. Chamber… Chamber of Secrets," she muttered under her breath, before her eyes widened in fear and she held her wand out in front of herself, as if in self-defense. She slowly got up, keeping her eyes on Salazar and Severus. She was breathing heavily and about to hyperventilate.

Salazar gave Severus a look that said clearly "don't say anything," and knelt by the girl. The Water Mage could see that she was a member of Godric's house from the badge on her robes. He looked in the cauldron and wondered how a _second-year_ could brew Polyjuice Potion. And, moreover, _why_ she was brewing Polyjuice Potion. "I am not going to hurt you."

The girl eyed him skeptically. "…You hate muggleborns. It says so in _Hogwarts, a History. _Everybody knows that."

"And after a thousand years, facts can be twisted, Miss….?"

"Granger. Hermione Granger," she said, still holding out her wand as she looked at him warily. The expression in her eyes told him that she knew she would lose if she had to lose, but she would fight anyway. Hermione Granger truly was a member of Godric's house.

"Do you want to know why I was against Muggleborns coming into the school?" He asked softly.

"…you hate us," said Miss Granger. But she didn't seem as certain.

Salazar conjured three armchairs and sat down in one of them, waving to Severus and Miss Granger to take a seat. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for stealing from my stores," said Severus as he sat down. Miss Granger looked sheepish.

"…and twenty five points to Gryffindor for a successful – at least so far - brewing of Polyjuice Potion," Salazar added. Severus looked annoyed but didn't argue.

"It was the eighth year Hogwarts had been open; we had just seen our first group of students graduate the previous year. I had known Godric for sixteen years; Rowena and Helga had joined us twelve years ago." He closed his eyes briefly, remembering his friends as he lapsed into talking like it was yesterday. For him, it was yesterday.

"Godric taught Transfiguration and Ancient Runes. Helga taught Herbology, and was also the mediwitch, so taught Healing. Rowena taught Charms and Arithmancy. I taught Warding and Potions. All of us pitched in to teach Defense.

"There was a brilliant Muggleborn Girl, Gwenneth Cadell, from Wales, sorted into my House. She especially excelled in potions, and I had thought about approaching her to be my apprentice later in her school years. She helped me to create two potions, such as the Erumpet Potion, an explosive potion, and the Girding Potion, which gives extra endurance. I knew that she would go on to be a very successful Potions Master.

"Over Christmas, she went home to her father – her mother had died in childbirth – while Godric and I helped repel some Viking invaders **(1)**, who had wizards with them. It was a little over a month ago. I used both potions that I had mentioned in the fight. The Erumpet Potion was especially effective; it was similar to a _Bombarda_, but I only had to throw it."

"Like a hand grenade," murmured Miss Granger. Salazar looked at her blankly before continuing.

"When Godric and I returned to Hogwarts, I saw her owl in the Great Hall, hooting wildly. There was a letter from Gwynneth. I can still remember it.

_Dear Professor Slytherin,_

_I'm scared. My dad's been yelling at me a lot. He says that I killed my mother and that he should just kill me. He said that the Bible says "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," and that he would regret it, but it was God's will for me to die. I really think he'll do it, Professor. Please, I need to come back to Hogwarts! Please help me!_

_Gwenneth Caddell_

_P.S. I don't understand. Dad must be wrong. If God did not want witches and wizards in the world, He never would have given us magic to begin with. The Lord loves us all equally. I know that to be true. _

"I immediately ran out of the grounds and apparated to her village. I asked where the Caddells lived. Making sure not to be seen, I apparated into the house. I still remember the scene I saw as vivid as the day it happened.

"I saw the blood first, on the bed. I ran over. Gwynneth was cold and still. There was so much blood on the bed. Her father had been blown across the room by her accidental magic, and he had hit his head on the wall and had died instantly. The blood covered knife was still in his hands.

"The last thing she would have seen was the father who she had just killed in self defense. Her face… it was frozen in an expression of shock and fear. I scooped her up and apparated to the entrance of the grounds.

"The four of us buried her that night, by the lake. But I knew that if she hadn't come to Hogwarts, her father would not have killed her because of her magic. I started to doubt if Muggleborns should even come here, if it would only get them killed…

"Yesterday I had a final argument with the others. I couldn't teach any more Muggleborns, I couldn't play a part in the death of any more innocent children. I quit, and it was storming when I left. My Water Magic, combined with the lightning that hit me and my shield spell, caused an explosion. I landed in this time."

Miss Granger looked at him with wide eyes. "Thank you for telling this to me, sir. Am I correct that you do not wish your identity known?"

Salazar nodded. "Only the headmaster, Madame Pomfrey, a boy named Harry Potter and Severus here know –"

"Harry _knows_!?" the girl asked, incredulous. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"I swore him to secrecy."

"Oh," she mumbled, then nodded.

"It's five minutes till curfew," Salazar added. The girl took off running.

"We never did get those basilisk scales, did we?" asked Severus.

**1: Hogwarts was founded around 990. During this time, Vikings were, and had been, trying to invade.**

**I am thrilled at the positive feedback that this story is getting. **

**Moi: thank you for your reviews, I am getting very good ideas from them so please keep them up. **


	4. Chapter Three

Salazar walked up to the entrance to his quarters. He pressed his palm against the place where a door handle would have been. There was a brief green glow as his magic was recognized, then the door slowly opened up to let him through. It closed again after he stepped into his quarters.

And promptly sneezed as he breathed in a thousand years of dust. "_Scourgify_," he muttered once he had stopped sneezing, pointing his wand at his bed. His bed was now the only clean item in the room. He sighed. Doing it this way would take forever. "_Scourgify Maxima!"_ He waved his wand around the room, and was rewarded with clean quarters.

"Salazar? Is that really you!?"

He whirled around at the familiar voice. Godric, Rowena, and Helga were staring at him from their portraits. They all had expressions of disbelief, before they all broke into a smile.

"What happened!?"

"Where were you? Your initials had disappeared."

"I'm glad to see you, Salazar."

He held up a hand, lying down on his bed. Salazar sat down and looked at the portraits of his friends for a full five minutes before slowly smiling. "Earlier today you were alive and I had just left the castle. Now you all are dead and a thousand years have passed." His smile turned sad.

Taking a deep breath, Salazar unfastened his bag with a casual wave of his wand and explained what had happened to his friends as he directed his belongings with his wand, causing Godric to mutter "show-off" under his breath.

Salazar smirked at him as he opened his empty wardrobe with a wave of his wand, only to discover that it was as dusty as the rest of the room had been. He cleaned the dust off and began folding and putting away his robes, directing them with his wand.

"What has happened to the portraits of us that were supposed to be in the headmaster's office?" Salazar asked, looking at the other three while folding and putting away a formal black cloak. Godric suddenly started snickering and Salazar scowled. "What's so funny?" Godric raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Salazar's wardrobe. Since he had not been looking at the wardrobe when he was directing the cloak to put itself away, the cloak was draped over the top of the dresser door.

"The portraits?" Salazar prompted, when it looked like Godric wouldn't stop laughing. It wasn't even that funny.

"The ones in the Headmaster's office were spelled to activate upon all of our deaths. We cannot enter," explained Rowena.

"I'll change that then." Salazar thought for a minute before muttering an incantation in Latin. "Try now."

Helga turned and disappeared, then appeared a minute later. "It works now. Now Salazar, _go to sleep_. Doing the wards must have exhausted you – I still cannot believe how bad they were allowed to get- and you need rest."

Salazar gave a half hearted protest before going to sleep.

He woke up the next day to knocking at his quarters. He sleepily opened them to find Severus, who darted in and closed the door behind him.

"Good morning, Severus?" Salazar's tone conveyed the unspoken question of _what are you doing?_

"I was running from the idiot Lockhart," Severus says in explanation, before continuing to mutter. "Yes, I _know_ how to make a Blood Replenishing Potion. I am a _Potions Master._ If I recall correctly, _you_ were the one that Slughorn had in detention for a melted cauldron half the times I went over there to borrow an ingredient from him. At least you were four years below me and not in my year, you stuck-up idiot! And I remember that time you challenged me to a duel, you fool. I beat you with a _Rictumsempra. _A _Rictumsempra. _A _laughing_ spell."

"Who is Lockhart?" Salazar asked. If he was a teacher…

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

Salazar groaned. "Why is he teaching?"

"There were no other applicants, other than me, but the Headmaster does not want me to teach Defense. Might actually be a good idea, considering the curse on the position."

"There's a curse on the Defense Position!?" Salazar felt like hitting his head. Repeatedly. On something hard.

"Yes… where are you going?"

"To see if I can break the curse, then apply for the position."

Twenty minutes later, Salazar had broken the curse. He had been one of the two people in the world able to break that curse: he was both a founder and a Parselmouth. His so called _heir_ had made it a Parseltounge curse, and had tied it into the wards. After breaking the curse, he quickly wrote out a job application for a Sylvan Diamondback.

The moment he stepped into the headmaster's office, the headmaster stood up. "Hello, Salazar. Can I be of any assistance?"

"No, I just wanted to tell you two things. One, that Rowena, Helga, and Godric's portraits can now enter the frames in your office."

"And the second?" asked Dumbledore.

"That defense professor is an incompetent idiot, headmaster. Why did you hire him?" Salazar inquired.

"He was the only applicant," muttered the headmaster. "I had no choice."

Salazar smirked and handed the headmaster the application that he had written.. "Because of the curse on the job, correct? Well, you will be glad to know I removed that curse, it was tied into the wards around the defense classroom. It was a parselmagic curse, so I was one of the few people able to remove it. You also have another applicant, a Sylvan Diamondback."

"Slyvan Diamondback, or Salazar Slytherin?" asked the headmaster.

Salazar smirked again, then put on a false innocent look. "No, it says Sylvan Diamondback."

The headmaster shook his head, but smiled wryly. "You're hired, Salazar."

"You must be mistaken. My name's Sylvan."

* * *

><p>"Now, I have gotten the impression that the last couple of teachers have been... Inadequate," began Salazar as he faced the class of second year Slytherins and Gryffindors. "I am going to start with testing your practical knowledge. Everybody, find a partner and start sparring."<p>

He watched Harry closely before he realized that the redheaded boy he was sparring had a dysfunctional wand. The unicorn hair was practically sticking out.

"Mr. Weasley, sparring with a damaged wand is incredibly dangerous. Sit out for the remainder of the class," he warned.

"Yes, sir," the boy muttered, red-faced.

Salazar addressed the class after watching the abysmal displays for several more minutes. "I see that your practical knowledge is sorely lacking. Can anybody name a spell that would be useful in a battle?"

Several hands shot up. "Mr. Malfoy?"

"_Impedimenta,_ sir," the blond said.

"Excellent. An effective, if somewhat basic, spell. Five points to Slytherin. Mr. Weasley?"

"_Stupefy_, sir," said Weasley.

"Correct. Another spell that works to great effect in a battle. Five points to Gryffindor."

The headmaster suddenly walked in the door, and Salazar turned. "What is it, headmaster?"

"Nothing, I was bored and decided to drop by."

"Then would you mind demonstrating a proper duel with me, as their spell range is sorely lacking," asked Salazar.

"Certainly, would you like to start now, Sa-Sylvan?"

"That is a good a time as any," replied Salazar.

"He's dueling Dumbledore, is he insane?" Muttered Ron to Harry.

"I don't know, he looks like he might stand a chance, mate," snickered Harry. This was going to be great.

The two wizards quickly erected a dueling platform in the front of the classroom and bowed to each other.

Dumbledore opened by sending a beam of white energy at Salazar. Salazar didn't recognize the spell, but he repelled the beam with a shield charm. He then sent a jet of boiling water at the headmaster, drawing naturally on his element. Dumbledore banished it with a flick of his wand before conjuring a hawk that started to swoop down on Salazar's head as the headmaster sent a _bombarda _at the Founder. The Parselmouth stopped both with a shield charm before transfiguring the hawk (which was now on the ground) into a snake. He sent it at Dumbledore with a mental hiss (he had figured out how to do legilimancy on snakes a year ago, and could talk to snakes without being heard.)

The headmaster severed the snake's head with a cutting hex before he sent a jet of ice at Salazar, who carved it into a spear with a flick of his wand (he could have easily done it with his hand; ice was just frozen water. However, he did not want to show his full power just yet) before sending it towards the headmaster. The headmaster dodged while sending a cutting hex at the Founder, who scowled as it tore a hole in his robes and nicked his side. He clenched his jaw before sending a light stunner at the headmaster as he changed the broken spear into two icy javelins and sent them flying towards either side of the headmaster from behind the other man.

Dumbledore smiled as he dodged the stunner, but it quickly turned into a grimace as he stepped right into the path of one of the javelins. Salazar suddenly felt heat behind him and he cast a shield charm, repelling the fireball the headmaster had transfigured the second javelin into, but not before it singed his back. Salazar smirked. Dumbledore sent a jet of flame towards Salazar, who respondened with an _Aguamenti. _The flame sputtered out and in its place was a fine mist, which Salazar changed to become water. He sent the water swirling around the headmaster in a vortex before he silently cast a warding charm. It was his own invention, and worked like a shield charm except it didn't have to be maintained, and one could fire spells through one's own side. It was also invisible. The only disadvantages was that one got tired right after casting it, but it fed off energy from up to ten spells it absorbed afterwards, before the shield broke. However, it did not protect him from the spell the headmaster shot at the floor, that turned the ground slick, and Salazar lost his balance and fell on the floor.

The headmaster shot a wall of purple flames out of his wand, which Salazar didn't even bother to dodge from his prone position on the floor. He merely felt a surge of magic as the warding charm absorbed the spell, and the Headmaster's jaw dropped. Salazar quickly stood up, and negated the effects of the slipping charm. He took advantage of the other man's shock to send a disarming spell at him, and deftly caught the headmaster's wand.

"I believe I win, headmaster,' he said, before returning the man's wand to him and releasing his warding charm. He smirked as everybody in the room stared at him with open jaws.

"You-you defeated the headmaster! He's like the most powerful wizard in the world!"

Dumbledore smiled at the student- Finnigan, he believed - and chuckled. "You flatter me. I must admit that might have been one of the most challenging duels I have fought, ranking up there with my duel against Grindelwald. But you cannot deny that this defense professor is actually ... Competent ... Shall we say," admitted the headmaster. "Sylvan, what was that shield charm you used? It seemed much more powerful than a regular one."

"It is my own invention. The incantation is _protego libertia_, literally 'free protection'," Salazar explained before teaching the class the advantages over a regular spell. "Is there anything you noticed about the duel?"

Harry slowly raised a hand, as the headmaster left the room. "You used the stunner to set up a trap with the two javelins, professor," he suggested tentatively.

Salazar nodded. "Excellent observation. Strategy is just as important as actual fighting skill, and so is adaptability. Anyone have any other observations? Yes Mr. Nott?"

"The headmaster used regular charms in the duel, and both of you used transfiguration," he said.

"Yes, and that leads excellently into the essay I want on Monday. I would like a foot long essay explaining briefly ten uses on how fields such as transfiguration and charms might be used in a duel. I would like specifics," he told the class, and everybody except Granger groaned. "Dismissed."

As the class left the room, he stopped Weasley by the door. "Relax, Mr. Weasley, you are not in trouble. I merely wish to accompany you to Ollivander's on Saturday, as your wand is, frankly, in a terrible condition."

* * *

><p>He stared at Dumbledore and the four heads of house. He had decided he would tell the other three heads of house who he was, and he braced himself for their reactions.<p>

"Before you start to protest, know that what he says is true, and I ask you to try to get to know him before judging him, as history has had some misconceptions about him," Dumbledore said. Salazar took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"I'm Salazar Slytherin."

There were three different voices protesting before Dumbledore held up a hand. Salazar took another breath and spoke. "History has apparently said that I hated muggleborns, yet that is not true. I _was_ against teaching them at Hogwarts, but only because of the abysmal Muggle-" he spat the word, "wizard relations. The death of an eleven year old muggleborn witch sorted into my house finally drove me to leave. She had been murdered in her sleep by her own father. I did not want to teach children just to see them die."

"But you do hate muggles?" Asked Minerva McGonagall.

His jaw clenched. "When I was nine, I watched as my sister and parents were burned at the stake. I barely escaped with my life. My own leg was burned before my accidental magic saved me. I think I have a reason to hate muggles," he spat. Minerva blanched.

"Is it true you defeated the headmaster in a duel earlier today?" Asked Filius Flitwick, sensing that Salazar didn't want to talk about that topic anymore.

Salazar smirked. "Yes, would you like me to loan you the memory?"

The headmaster groaned.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I had a lot of schoolwork. Today my break started, and I got my wisdom teeth out. Fun. **

**Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews!**


	5. Chapter Four

"Maybe if we add porcupine quills?" Severus offered. He was working with Salazar on tweaking the potion to destroy the horcrux without harming Potter. He had been amazed when the founder had filled the cauldron with water with a wave of his hand.

"No, it would react with the basilisk scales," Salazar countered.

"And if we don't add it the toad's liver will react with the dried horned slugs," Severus returned. "And we need it to neutralize the adder venom anyway."

"True, but if we switch the order of when we add the doxy wings and moonflowers, and put the porcupine quills in in between the two..."

"We can add phoenix tears in before the basilisk scales and everything should balance out," Severus finished.

Salazar paused. "I was going to suggest dragon blood from a Spanish Silverwing, but that would work as well, if we can obtain it."

Severus shook his head. "The Spanish Silverwing went extinct half a millennium ago. The headmaster has a phoenix, though."

"Shame, even though phoenix tears have the same effect. I always found silverwing blood to be very useful. And what about balancing the doxy wings and porcupine quills? That has never been done as far as I know. I had almost made a potion to cure lycanthropy, but I couldn't balance those two ingredients."

Severus grinned. "Two years ago, it was figured out that powdered Carakan horn balances it out."

"Carakan?"

"A magical impala that can regrow its horns."

"Ah. Who was the brilliant potions master who figured that one out?"

Severus blushed, but did not reply.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Still no answer.

"Should we make the lycanthropy potion as well then?" Salazar prodded.

"I see no reason why not."

"Okay, then follow me into the forbidden forest. There's a place there that I warded and we need an ingredient there."

"Welcome, Severus, to Silvermist Falls," Salazar gestured. He had placed wards around a small waterfall in the stream that ran through the forest so that it looked like a smooth stream. But inside the wards, One could see a crystal clear waterfall that fell over the dark grey rocks into a small pond and sent silvery mist into the air. Small red and silver birds were flying in the trees around the waterfall.

Severus gasped as he saw a blue phoenix, with a white crest and white wingtips and tailtips. The main blue color varied from dark to light, and there were random dapples of white. It created the effect of a water phoenix, but those were extinct.

Salazar approached it tentatively, only for it to squawk loudly before flying off. Salazar huffed dejectedly before he saw it drop two feathers by Severus' feet, who picked them up reverently.

"For some reason, no animals besides snakes seem to like me. Not even ones associated with the element I specialize in, it seems," the Founder commented ruefully to the other wizard. He crossed over to some moss that was growing on the rocks and knelt by it, collecting some and placing it in a glass vial. "Glowmoss, at least that's what I've named it. It's necessary for the potion. Let's go back."

Once back at the castle, they split up, as Severus had a class to teach. Salazar went to his quarters.

"I dueled with the Headmaster today," he commented to the portraits. "I miss dueling with you, Godric. And playing chess with the three of you. I know that I willingly quit, but I miss the three of you."

"Did you win?" asked Godric. Rowena facepalmed, and entered Godric's painting quietly, coming up "behind" him. She sent a painted stinging hex towards Godric, and he turned around. "Ow! What was that for?"

Salazar raised an eyebrow, in response to both the actions of Rowena and in answer to Godric's question.

"I'll see if I can come up with a spell… one that can replicate what we do in the frames and translate it to the real world. Spells wouldn't _do _anything, besides sting, but it would sort of be like interacting with a ghost. One that can move chess pieces…. Or a sword. And if I can make the swords actually replicate _hitting_ something…" Rowena muttered.

"I would be grateful if you could make that spell, Rowena."

"Well, I haven't had any good opponents in chess in around a thousand years," said Rowena.

"HEY!" shouted Godric and Helga.

"Are you sure about this?" Salazar asked the four heads of house, as well as the headmaster, the next day.

"I am. In our duel, you didn't even get tired, whereas it was one of the hardest duels I've ever fought," replied the headmaster.

"I used to be a dueling champion, but to learn from one of the founders..." Filius trailed off. Severus, Minerva, and Pomona expressed similar opinions.

Salazar turned to the four heads of house. "And you have all seen the memory of my duel with the headmaster?" They nodded. "Excellent. As you can see, other subjects such as charms and transfiguration can be useful when dueling. Also, learning the Elemantal magics can be very helpful. I myself am a water mage. First I am going to see your fighting styles, by fighting each one of you." There were four distinct gulps. "Who would like to go first?"

There was about fifteen seconds of silence while they looked at him, the headmaster, and then at each other. Finally, as if by unspoken agreement, Minerva stepped forward. "I will."

The dueling platform was still up in the back of the classroom, and Minerva and Salazar bowed at each other before starting to duel. He opened with a fiery whip that he snapped by her left side, and she hastily blocked it with a shield charm before sending a body-bind curse at him that he barely dodged. He sent a wave of arrows at her, and she turned the majority into knives with a wave of her wand. Minerva blocked the rest with a shield charm. He blocked all but three, which he sent back at the witch, only to have all three of them miss as she turned into a cat.

He blinked. Minerva took this time to leap, claws outstretched, towards his face. He barely erected a shield charm in time, and the transfiguration mistress hissed and bounced off the charm, landing on all fours and leaping away before turning back into a human and dodging the stunner Salazar sent her way. She summoned the knives from behind her and sent them back towards Salazar, who sent them back towards her while sending a silent body-bind towards her right side. Minerva dodged the knives but stepped right into the body-bind, and found her wand flying towards Salazar's hand.

She smiled ruefully as he handed her back her wand.

"You did good, you almost defeated me when you turned into a cat. That was rather ... unexpected," he commented dryly. "You used your field of specialty to good effect, but you fell for the trap I set at the end. You show good improvisation skills, such as when you turned into a cat. However, you mainly relied on transfiguring physical objects rather than spells, and physical objects can be vanished instead of just being blocked." He paused. "Who would like to go next?"

Filius stepped forward, and the founder and the charms master bowed before starting to fight. Salazar sent a barrage of arrows towards him, and the former dueling champion smiled as he charmed the majority to fly towards the top of the classroom and take turns dive-bombing Salazar. Salazar scowled and tried to vanish them, only to discover they were all protected by a shield charm as one hit him in his arm and drew blood. The founder cast his own shield charm before sending a _bombarda _at the head of Ravenclaw. Filius dodged and sent a stunner back, and for the next forty five seconds multiple spells (and arrows) were blocked and dodged on both sides. Some arrows did find their mark, though. Finally, Filius sent all of the arrows towards Salazar, only for the founder to turn them all into mist with a wave of his wand. Salazar sent an _expelliarmus _towards Filius' general direction as the mist dissipated. He caught the smaller man's wand, causing the Charms Master to smile and shake his head.

"I imagine, as a former dueling champion, you know how I managed to defeat you?"

Filius nodded.

"I'll go next, though I imagine I won't last long. My strength was never in dueling," said the Herbology Professor.

She started off by causing the trunk of a tree to sprout off of the wooden planks of the platform. She hid behind it, and Salazar sent a stunner her way, which she dodged, before sending a stunner of her own his way. He dodged, and sent a blasting hex at the tree she was hiding behind. She put up a shield charm, but lowered it to send a body-bind Salazar's way. He used that opportunity to disarm her.

She smiled. "I did better than I thought I would. Severus, it's your turn."

Severus nodded, then thought about the duels he had just witnessed, and the memory of the duel with the headmaster. "…I'm dead," he muttered.

**AN: Yes, I'm evil. Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews! **


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